like glass and hellflame
by the.honeycomb.system
Summary: Maybe the creatures of fantasy that we all know aren’t just fairy tales. Maybe they’re all around us. Maybe they’re closer than you’d expect. Non-canonical. Jikook, with a side of Sope - some pairings undecided yet, and some may change (apart from the main, of course).


**Disclaimer: Basically none of this is canon nor intended to be canon. I'm not paying attention to when things were made or how things worked or anything like that, I'm just writing. So please, if anything doesn't make sense at all, forgive me and the me that decided '_Hell, what a great idea it would be to write an entire massive af fanfic right now, solely because it is 4:57 AM and I have nothing better to do_'. I archived this for a long time, but I hadn't ever actually finished the story. Might post/write more chapters if this is liked well enough. I dunno, it's a shot in the dark. Peace **

**I don't remember what the prompt for this one was, so let's just say it was _moonlight_, or something like that.**

Jungkook's steps felt too heavy on the damp asphalt as he walked down that same, quiet route he took every day. The only difference that night was that it was 3:48 AM, not like the usual 9:00-11:00 leave times he often had after practice. This route led in a conveniently almost-straight line of only a few blocks from KNUA right to Jungkook's apartment complex. This made it easy for him to commute there just by walking, but also made him often stay out too late, believing foolishly that he could get in a little more practice time since his way home was so quick. He stayed out too late tonight. More accurately, early.

Jungkook shivered, wishing that he'd brought more than just his standard hoodie to practice. But, he had made the regrettable decision to wear just the hoodie; only the hoodie. He cursed himself in his head for that one.

As he passed under a street lamp, something caught his eye. Something shiny and small, glinting in the pale orange light of the street lamp. Just as Jungkook saw it, it made a quick, serpent-like scurry away into the underbrush of the tree line next to the street. He caught a flash of what looked like bright feathers and more white shimmers before the bush stopped quivering.

He just stood there for a moment, simultaneously frightened and eagerly curious at the thing he had seen. It had been quite tiny, probably being a little less than a foot long, and it was like a shard of moonlight; bright, pale, and pocked in a way. There was such beauty to it, but also something telling Jungkook to stay away. But then again, what did he care? It was almost 4:00 in the morning and he didn't give two craps about how safe it was. Perhaps it was simply a mirage, or the street light reflecting off of the wet pavement. He went after it anyway though.

He crept forward with a lightness of steps that only a dancer could achieve, and stared into the darkness of the forest. In a small spot of actual moonlight filtering in from the trees, he caught a shift of something monochrome and reflective, and immediately began to tiptoe forward. He was extra careful not to make too much noise, as it could scare away whatever it was.

Jungkook had made it a ways closer to the thing, and could see it much more clearly without all the shrubbery in his way.

It was sitting in a small clearing, poised and basking in the moonlight. It looked like some sort of serpent, but it had legs and ears. He could see now that the creature wasn't all white; it had undertones of blue and orange feathers on its ears and legs. The rest of it though, was completely white, with scales running all the way down it's body that glittered in the light. It's body really could have been a serpent, with its length and litheness, but it had feathers and claws and sharp eyes that looked like glass and hellflame and something much more than animal-

Jungkook's foot landed on a piece of plastic and it cracked. The creature stiffened, and then all of a sudden it was gone. In the blink of an eye, it had darted off into the forest. But not gone, right? There was still something there.

Jungkook gasped and rushed forward, now making as much noise as he pleased. He stopped in the center of the clearing and turned all around, trying to see if it's path was visible. But there was nothing.

He felt his heel hit something soft, and he glanced down to see something that shined and glowed in the soft, muted light.

He leapt away with a gasp, thinking that he had hurt the creature, but it wasn't the creature at all. It was a feather. A smooth, glittering white feather with tips of blue and orange in many tones that tangled together in each fiber. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

With shaking fingers, he reached down and plucked up the feather, movements achingly gentle. So beautiful.

He jogged home after that, accidentally waking one of his roommates, Taehyung, in his rush. He apologized and went straight to bed, not bothering to do anything other than wash his face and brush his teeth. That wasn't just any animal. That was something else. Jungkook could feel every nerve in his body tingling with excitement. He had seen something amazing, and he had proof that it was real. He had the feather.

He fell asleep quickly, to dream of things that were orange and blue and white and tangled and that grinned at him like the crescent moon in the sky.

**Sorry for how short this first bit was, I couldn't figure out a good way to space the chapters. I guess this is something of a prologue? Oh well, but please let me know if any of you liked it**


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